Science & Data

The annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report is a requirement of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), and a federal requirement [50 CFR Section 602.12(e)]. The SAFE report summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, total allowable catch (TAC) or Guideline Harvest Level (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions. Additional information on Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) king and Tanner crab is available on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) web page at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Westward Region Shellfish web page at: http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region4/shellfsh/shelhom4.php.

Table 13: Predicted mature male (MMB), mature female (FMB), and males >101mm biomass (1000 t) and numbers (in millions) at the time of the survey from the chosen model. Columns 2-5 are subject to survey selectivity; columns 6-9 are the population values (i.e. the numbers at length are not modified by multiplying them by a selectivity curve–they are estimates of the underlying population). These are maximum likelihood estimates that will differ slightly from the median posterior values.

The Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) crab fisheries managed under the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Fishery Management Plan (FMP) are currently prosecuted by an active fleet of 115 catcher vessels and two catcher processors, and landed and processed at 14 processing facilities throughout the region. Of the 10 crab stocks and 11 fisheries managed under the FMP1 , eight fisheries are currently open to targeted fishing. The Bering Sea Tanner (BST) crab fisheries reopened for targeted fishing for the 2013/14 season 2 after being closed since the 2010/11 season. Pribilof Islands red and blue king, and Western Aleutian red king crab stocks are currently designated overfished, as detailed in the assessments for these stocks. The Saint Matthew blue king (SMB) crab fishery was closed for the 2013/14 season under the State of Alaska’s management strategy, and reopened for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons.

The annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report is a requirement of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), and a federal requirement [50 CFR Section 602.12(e)]. The SAFE report summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, total allowable catch (TAC) or Guideline Harvest Level (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions. Additional information on Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) king and Tanner crab is available on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) web page at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Westward Region Shellfish web page at: http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region4/shellfsh/shelhom4.php.

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation have worked cooperatively since 2004 to learn more about Bering Sea king, snow, and Tanner crabs.

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation have worked cooperatively since 2004 to learn more about Bering Sea king, snow, and Tanner crabs.

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation have worked cooperatively since 2004 to learn more about Bering Sea king, snow, and Tanner crabs.

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation have worked cooperatively since 2004 to learn more about Bering Sea king, snow, and Tanner crabs.

Condos and lantern net "hotels" for crabs who are fed cod kebabs. NOAA Fisheries scientists set up temporary, make-shift homes for Tanner and snow crabs on Dutch Harbor, AK dock. They are doing this to study the growth of these species that support important commercial fisheries for Alaska and the United States.

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation have worked cooperatively since 2004 to learn more about Bering Sea king, snow, and Tanner crabs.